Aquafield



Jan. 17, 1967 P. J. SWANSON 3,298,638

AQUAFIELD Filed April 16, 1965 3 INVENTOR PL/N JOSEPH SWAMSOA/ United States Patent 3,298,638 AQUAFIELD v Plin Joseph Swanson, Los Angeles, Calif. (2316 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, Calif. 90403) Filed Apr. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 448,770

1 Claim. (Cl. 244- 114) The aquafield, my invention, relates to and provides for a new and different type of emergency airplane landing area. Its primary use is to provide a safer and better landing surface for airplanes and aircraft that are designed, constructed and equipped to land only on wheels on solid surfaces, when and if such airplane wheel-landing mechanism fails to function while the airplane is air-borne, making it necessary for that airplane to make a belly landing. The aquafield is invented also for use by any air borne airplane that may develop mechanical trouble that may cause the pilot to decide to land on the aquafield because he cannot reach a conventional runway of sufficient size or in time to make a normal landing.

The malfunctioning of landing wheel gear has occurred in the past and will occur in the future. At the present time an airborne airplane with landing gear inoperative must make a belly landing on the solid inflexible airport landing strip, usually of concrete. In the past when airplanes have landed in this manner the impact was so severe that passengers have been killed or seriously injured, and airplanes badly damaged or totally destroyed. But the major hazard of such landings is a fire-explosion, resulting in the death of some or all of the passengers and crew.

The aquafield and combination thereof constituting my invention are as hereinafter described and defined in the claim. In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention, like characters refer to like parts throughout the several drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan before the clay is added.

FIGURE 2 is a side cross section view that bisects the drainage channel and one F abridam.

FIGURE 3 is a side view showing Fabridam installations, drainage channel and the floor-bottom covered with one foot of clay.

The numeral 1 designates the outer circular perimeter foundation wall surrounding the entire aquafield except where Fabridams 6 are installed. Numeral 2 designates the downward slopping 200 foot section of the floorbottom that joins the perimeter wall 1 to the base floorbottom except at the drainage channel 5A. Numeral 3 designates the perpendicular side walls of the drainage channel connecting section 2 to the channel floor 5A. Numeral 4 designates clay, one foot thick, placed on the top of floor-bottom 5. Numeral 5 designates that entire section of the floor-bottom between section 2. Numeral 5A is the drainage channel floor. It is at the same grade and level as section 5. It is not covered with clay. Numeral 6 and 6A designate Fabridams. 6 shows Fabridams in collapsed position for drainage. 6A shows a Fabridam inflated to hold water in the aquafield. Numeral 7 designates door to Fabridam operating control room. Room contains water valve that when opened inflates the Fabridams. Numeral 8 indicates the surrounding ground and grade level at the base of the Fabridams. Numeral 9 indicates ground level at the perimeter wall top opposite the Fabridam 6. Numeral 10 designates the water that fills the aquafield when Fabridams are closed. Numeral 11 designates water inlet to fill the aquafield. Numeral 12 designates the water valve and pipes connected to the Fabridams which inflate the Fabridams.

After the aquafield wall 1, floor-bottom 25-5A and the Fabridams 6-6A are constructed, but before the aquafield is filled with water, a 12 "inch layer of clay 4 is placed on the floor-bottom, that is across and covering the entire circular of center area 5. The clay used will be the type of clay that when covered with water becomes soft and yielding and slippery forabout the first four inches of its depth but remains comparatively solid for the other eight inches of 3 its depth. This characteristicof the clay, the four inch water soaked layer, acts as a slippery lubricant; Therefore an airplane landing on the aquafield would respond in manner. When during its forward motion, gravity overcomes buoyancy, the airplane belly I would start sliding on the slippery clay until it gradually comes to a'stop.

My invention, the aquafield, is a liquid (water) airplane landing area. The aquafield is round and saucerlike in shape. The water is contained in the Aquafield by means of a concrete floor-bottom 2, 5, and 5A built up to and into a circular outer foundation wall 1. The top of the wall 1 at all points is bench mark ZERO around its entire circumference. Except where Fabridams 6 are installed in the perimeter wall, the floor-bottom and the perimeter wall meet at a point 6 inches below the top of the perimeter wall at grade 0.5 of a foot. At the juncture point of the wall 1 and that section of the floorbottom designated as 2, the floor-bottom starts sloping downward towards the center of the aquafield for the next 200 feet at which point the aquafield floor reaches its maximum depth. Water depth in the aquafield is to be approximately 18 inches.

The Fabridams are installed along the perimeter of the aquafield. Drainage of the aquafield will be accomplished by means of the Fabridams. During construction the channel 5A with side walls 3, set at degrees to the floor will be constructed through the 200 foot floor-bottom incline section 2 extending from the floorbottom 5 to the base of the Fabridams 6-6A. The entire floor of channel 5A will be at the same grade and level as that of the center floor-bottom section 5 which is also the same grade and levelof the deflated Fabridams.

The aquafield is circular in design and construction so that an airplane can land on it from any point of the compass.

The object of my new and useful emergency airplane landing area, the aquafield, is to provide a new and different way, means and method of saving lives and property, and to practically eliminate the two extreme present and current hazards to passengers on airplanes when belly landings have to be made, namely, the impact shock due to sudden deceleration and fire-explosion.

When a belly landing is made on the aquafield the impact shock is comparatively negligible because the airplane on first contact with the surface of the water will skim and glide over the surface without extreme or sudden deceleration. The airplane will tend to lose momentum gradually as it sinks deeper into the water until stopped by water resistance and the friction of the belly on clay. Landing fire-explosion hazard is held to a minimum because (1) the landing impact would not be severe enough to rupture the fuel tanks, and (2) the agents that usually cause the fuel to ignite, namely, flying sparks and fuselage metals red-hot from ground friction, are not present when an aquafield water landing is made.

After an airplane had landed on the aquafield, and

after repairs had been completed, the airplane would be towed to the slanting area 2, and use slanting area 2 as a runway for take-off. With the water level lowered to an 18 inch depth, practically all of the slanting, sloping section 2 of the floor bottom would be dry and above the water level of the aquafield.

Four such properly spaced aquafields across the United States in areas where freezing is unlikely would make it possible for an,airplane with landing gear trouble to reach an aquafield within an hour or less from almost any flight pattern. An airplane could land on the aquafield with a full load of fuel, no fire hazard. When an airplane had to use the aquafield, fly-about to consume fuel or dumping fuel, always dangerous, would not be necessary. Incoming water, screened and filtered, would remain relatively clear and free of most life and vegetation by means of chemicals.

Having described my invention what I claim:

A landing area for aircraft comprising an open-top saucer-shape concrete tank enclosed by an outer cylindrical foundation wall, said tank having a floor starting at the top of said foundation wall with a portion slanting downward to a horizontal center portion, a layer of clay 15 4 portion, liquid disposed in said tank above the clay, a channel in said foundation wall and in said slanting portion of said floor and Fabridarns controlling the flow of water through said channel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,388,319 8/1921 Backus 244-114 2,728,539 12/1955 Morrill 244-114 3,066,896 12/1962 Schirtzinger 244--114 3,142,460 7/1964 Langford 244-114 3,157,374 11/1964 Conrey 244114 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

L. C. HALL, Assistant Examiner. 

